German canoeist
Jan Benzien
Benzien in 2008
Born 22 July 1982 (1982-07-22 ) (age 41)Giessen , West Germany [1] Height 180 cm (5 ft 11 in)[2] Weight 75 kg (165 lb) Sport Canoe slalom Club Leipziger Kanu Club Coached by Michael Trummer (national) Frithjof Bergner (club)[3]
Jan Benzien (born 22 July 1982) is a German slalom canoeist who has competed at the international level since 1999. Benzien started out as a C1 paddler. Since 2012 he has also been competing in C2, teaming up with Franz Anton .
He won eleven medals at the ICF Canoe Slalom World Championships with two golds (C1 team: 2006 , C2: 2015 ), eight silvers (C1: 2002 ; C1 team: 2002, 2005 , 2007 , 2010 , 2011 , 2013 ; C2 team: 2015), and a bronze (C1: 2009 ). He won additional 16 medals at the European Championships (3 golds, 7 silvers, and 6 bronzes).[4]
Benzien competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing . In the C1 event , he finished second in the qualification round, thus progressing to the semifinals. In the semifinals, Benzien finished twelfth, failing to reach the top eight and the final round.[1] At the 2016 Summer Olympics , he placed fourth in the C2 event , together with teammate Franz Anton .[1]
Benzien serves with the German Army and has a degree in sport management from the Vocational Academy of Riesa . He is married to the Olympic canoeist Mandy Planert ; they have children, Justus Jonas and Mika. In 2014, he launched a canoe rental company in Leipzig .[3]
World Champions in Men's Canoe Slalom C1 team
1949: France (Pierre d'Alençon , Paul Huguet & Marcel Renaud )
1951: Czechoslovakia (Václav Nič , Jaroslav Váňa & Jan Pecka )
1953: Czechoslovakia (Vladimír Jirásek , Jan Šulc & Stanislav Jánský )
1955: Czechoslovakia (Vladimír Jirásek , Jiří Hradil & Luděk Beneš )
1957: West Germany (Günther Beck , Heiner Stumpf & Otto Stumpf )
1959: Czechoslovakia (Luděk Beneš , Václav Janovský & Vladimír Jirásek )
1961: Czechoslovakia (Tibor Sýkora , Jaroslav Pollert & Bohuslav Pospíchal )
1963: East Germany (Karl-Heinz Wozniak , Gert Kleinert & Manfred Schubert )
1965: Czechoslovakia (Jiří Vočka , Luděk Beneš & Bohuslav Pospíchal )
1967: Czechoslovakia (Karel Kumpfmüller , Bohuslav Pospíchal & Petr Sodomka )
1969: West Germany (Wolfgang Peters , Harald Cuypers & Reinhold Kauder )
1971: East Germany (Jürgen Köhler , Wulf Reinicke & Jochen Förster )
1973: Czechoslovakia (Jaroslav Radil , Karel Třešňák & Petr Sodomka )
1975: Czechoslovakia (Petr Sodomka , Jaroslav Radil & Karel Třešňák )
1977: East Germany (Reinhard Eiben , Peter Massalski & Lutz Körner )
1979: United States (Jon Lugbill , David Hearn & Bob Robison )
1981: United States (Jon Lugbill , David Hearn & Ron Lugbill )
1983: United States (Jon Lugbill , David Hearn & Kent Ford )
1985: United States (David Hearn , Jon Lugbill & Kent Ford )
1987: United States (Jon Lugbill , David Hearn & Bruce Lessels )
1989: United States (Jon Lugbill , David Hearn & Jed Prentice )
1991: United States (Adam Clawson , Jon Lugbill & Jed Prentice )
1993: Slovenia (Jože Vidmar , Boštjan Žitnik & Simon Hočevar )
1995: Germany (Vitus Husek , Sören Kaufmann & Martin Lang )
1997: Slovakia (Michal Martikán , Juraj Minčík & Juraj Ontko )
1999: Poland (Krzysztof Bieryt , Sławomir Mordarski & Mariusz Wieczorek )
2002: Czech Republic (Přemysl Vlk , Jan Mašek & Stanislav Ježek )
2003: Slovakia (Alexander Slafkovský , Juraj Minčík & Michal Martikán )
2005: France (Olivier Lalliet , Pierre Labarelle & Tony Estanguet )
2006: Germany (Stefan Pfannmöller , Nico Bettge & Jan Benzien )
2007: France (Tony Estanguet , Pierre Labarelle & Nicolas Peschier )
2009: Slovakia (Alexander Slafkovský , Michal Martikán & Matej Beňuš )
2010: Slovakia (Michal Martikán , Alexander Slafkovský & Matej Beňuš )
2011: Slovakia (Michal Martikán , Alexander Slafkovský & Matej Beňuš )
2013: Slovakia (Michal Martikán , Alexander Slafkovský & Matej Beňuš )
2014: Slovakia (Michal Martikán , Alexander Slafkovský & Matej Beňuš )
2015: Slovakia (Michal Martikán , Alexander Slafkovský & Matej Beňuš )
2017: Slovakia (Michal Martikán , Alexander Slafkovský & Matej Beňuš )
2018: Slovakia (Alexander Slafkovský , Michal Martikán & Matej Beňuš )
2019: Slovakia (Alexander Slafkovský , Michal Martikán & Matej Beňuš )
2021: France (Martin Thomas , Denis Gargaud Chanut & Nicolas Gestin )
2022: Slovenia (Benjamin Savšek , Luka Božič & Anže Berčič )
2023: France (Nicolas Gestin , Jules Bernardet & Lucas Roisin )
World Champions in Men's Canoe Slalom C2